World of Warcraft’s current expansion, Battle for Azeroth, is drawing to a close with possibly its biggest update yet.
In Patch 8.2, we saw Azshara’s Eternal Palace raid conclude with the Old God N’Zoth being freed from his prison. The release of 8.2.5, in September, allowed the war between the Alliance and the Horde come to a relatively peaceful conclusion.
What’s more, the update also saw a return of the Recruit-a-Friend system which included all-new rewards and bonus XP. The new rewards were based on retention and given to players at various tiers of game time, which can eventually lead to one free month every 3 months.
Patch 8.2.5 is also set to bring in content changes related to the 15 year anniversary including a PvE event that involved revisiting three notable bosses from The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm.
Patch 8.3
But now, fans won’t have to wait until BlizzCon 2019 to find out about what is coming next as Blizzard revealed in an 18-minute video last week that the battle for Azeroth has turned towards N’zoth.
Visions of N’zoth is already in the public test realm (PTR) but is expected to launch in full sometime early next year. The update will see the introduction of two new Allied Races, the Vulpera, a cute and tiny fox-like people who will join the Horde and the Mechagnomes who will be welcomed by the Alliance.
With the updated Worgen and Goblin models that came with 8.2.5, the new update will bring the long-awaited heritage armour. This will see the Worgen get access to top hats. Alongside these changes, the Auction House will also get a much-needed overhaul where players can purchase partial stacks of goodies from others rather than having to take everything in one go.
One of the biggest new features coming in 8.3 is Assaults, N’zoth and his minions are set to assault two zones in the world, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria and Uldum, with the intent of corrupting titan facilities. Much like the current warfront assaults, they will periodically assault the zone and players will be able to fight back the minions for rewards and loot.
Players can expect rare spawns and access to timed solo runs in visions as well. There will also be a 12-boss raid in order to conclude Battle for Azeroth’s story, and the final boss of this expansion will be N’Zoth. So now is the perfect time to catch up on content and wait for BlizzCon 2019.
BlizzCon
This year’s BlizzCon takes place on November 1 and 2, and will feature, according to the official announcement, an assortment of Blizzard-related “games, esports, cosplay, contests, fellowship, and fun”.
As has been the case in previous years, those unable to attend BlizzCon will be able to watch at least some of the festivities online for free. But for those eager to sample BlizzCon’s potential delights without actually being there in person, Virtual Tickets are now on sale for £34.99.
This year, BlizzCon attendees and Virtual Ticket holders will receive a multiverse-spanning assortment of in-game extras to help mark the occasion alongside their friends, allies, teammates, guildmates, broodmates, and rivals:
World of Warcraft: Ride the tides of war with a pair of murloc-ified faction leaders: Finduin (for Alliance heroes) and Gillvanas (for the Horde). Plus, bundle up for your next trip to the icy mountains with the whimsical Wendigo Woolies transmog outfit. Available in-game starting today!
Overwatch: Commemorate 25 years of Azeroth as you fight for future Earth with a pair of Warcraft-themed legendary Overwatch skins. Prepare to seek vengeance as Illidan Genji, and call upon the (hard-)light of Elune as Tyrande Symmetra. In-game before BlizzCon!
Hearthstone: Celebrate the excitement of BlizzCon the next time you sit down for a duel with the BlizzCon 2019 Card Back. Then prepare to claim a mysterious Golden Legendary card, to be revealed at BlizzCon. In-game after BlizzCon!*
Heroes of the Storm: Make your mark in the Nexus with a commemorative BlizzCon spray and portrait, and ride into battle on the Celestial Deepcrawler mount. It may not look dangerous, but those claws can give you a nasty pinch . . . or wipe out all life on your planet. Available in-game starting today!
StarCraft II: Equip a trio of Brood War®–era unit skins and portraits the next time you go into battle. Scout for a zerg ambush aboard the Classic Battlecruiser, hunt your prey with the sinewy Classic Ultralisk, and honor Tassadar’s sacrifice with the Classic Carrier. Available in-game starting today!
…And more to come: More BlizzCon bonuses are in the works, including a pair of commemorative wings for Diablo III players (PC/Mac version only)*—stay tuned for more details on this year’s legendary haul.